Update: In comments, Insomniac asks: “What’s with the hair-pulling death grip?”

A good and oft-pondered question. It is a Tom Cruise phenomenon that the Manolo has been studying for some time, so I’ll let him show you more of the Death Grip of Super Masculinity, though it is doubtful that anyone will ever be able to truly explain it.

I think the Death Grip is Tom’s way of saying ‘Tell anyone, I mean anyone, about my status in the upper echelons of my faux religion, and I will…well, I’ll…I dunno…send you to psychiatrist and have them say you’re crazy! Yes, crazy! I will, I promise!”

And somehow I hear all that in a weird, not-of-this-world alien accent. But maybe that’s all just me…

Rumor has it that the baby is depressed that Tom Cruise is his father, and it’s going to have to be a Scientologist. I’d be bummed in the burner, too, baby.

Washington Cube Was Here. #176

WanderlustOctober 5, 2005

LOL Jeff, you beat me to the punch on the paternity question.

Now if the progeny resembled a Federline, that would be just too f*ckin’ funny…

WanderlustOctober 5, 2005

Oh, and why does Tommy have to keep up with the “hey look, I’m normal TOO!” thingy in the media? It’s like everything he does with her, romantic/relationship-wise, is a caricature of itself – hollow, empty, and completely made-for-hollywood.

Reminds me of a guy I knew once, whose demeanor post-divorce (after messy affair) was a miserable attempt at trying to convince himself, and everyone around him, that he was “happy”. It looked more like the guy couldn’t shake his guilt over his role in the breakup and had to keep justifying his “good” emotional mindset to the world, because otherwise, “they” wouldn’t understand – but instead, it looked like the only person he was really trying to convince was his own conscience.

Ian Fleming, in one of the Bond novels, asserted that this sort of death grip was exciting to women.

FWIW….

McCainOctober 6, 2005

But Mary, careful analysis of their gender reveals that Britney Spears is a lot different than Tom Cruise. She is a bimbo trashy babe with no talent. He, on the other hand, is merely a guy. Of course everyone wants to see her and the countless others like her that Kevin is kind enough to post. But Tom Cruise? Please, give your attentive readers Paris or Kate Moss. 🙂

I’m happy these days to read about two MARRIED (or soon to be, in this case) people who want a family, actually having that family. I hope that Tom Cruise and his wife, Katie (soon to be) have a happy child and more to come.

That’s the extent of my emotion about this but I do find the neck grabbing an ugly pose. It might have a lot to do with their height issues, and what the camera captures, as to why Cruise resorts to the effort when the cameras are near. He DOES make his living in front of cameras, to state the obvious; however, the body language involved is troubling.

mosebyOctober 6, 2005

“What’s with the hair pulling death grip?”

That’s they way he holds all of his boyfriends–but usually from behind …